Abstract: "Experience as Incentive: Promoting Sustainable Urban Mobility Through Bridge Design", IABSE 2023

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September 26, 2023

Abstract: "Experience as Incentive: Promoting Sustainable Urban Mobility Through Bridge Design", IABSE 2023

  • Dissing+Weitling attended the IABSE New Delhi Congress 2023 giving five speaches and submitting ditto papers about the work we do within the field of mobility. This is one of five abstract.

  • Rasmus Hjortshoj Cykelslangen LARGE 09 cropped
    Riders Crossing the Cykelslangen. Photo: Rasmus Hjortshøj - COAST STUDIO.

    Copenhagen’s Cykelslangen is a physical manifestation of two Danish traditions: design and cycling. At the same time, it is infrastructure as experience – the act of crossing allows cyclers a moment of roadway isolation within an otherwise integrated urban plan.

  • Abstract

    Bicycle infrastructure creates environmental, social, and economic value in urban environments across cultures. Cities that invest in bicycle infrastructure reduce the number of cars on the road, save on infrastructure maintenance costs, and preserve greenspace within development plans. A bridge must not only solve specific traffic challenges but catalyse value creation and incentivize sustainable urban transport.

    Exploring the intersection of architecture and user experience across bicycle bridges in Copenhagen, Denmark and Xiamen, China - Dissing+Weitling demonstrates how cycling infrastructure is a powerful tool for cities to incentivize sustainable urban mobility.

  • Cykelslangen 33
    Cykelslangen – View from the North looking South.

    The mobility architecture of the Cykelslangen exemplifies Copenhagen’s urban planning ethos: it is not enough for new infrastructure to ‘just’ be a functional solution – they must drive sustainable value creation and contribute to the wellbeing of all members of society. Danish design thinking supports this convergence of user experience and aesthetics.

  • 1. Experience as Incentive

    Bicycle infrastructure can incentivize citizen adoption of socially and environmentally sustainable mobility. To be a driver of sustainable value creation, bicycle bridges and larger urban cycling systems must be contextual, dynamic, and deliver a riding experience that reinforces enjoyment.

    What makes cycling infrastructure a true change catalyst is the designed user experience. Mobility architects’ partner with engineering and civic planning teams to ensure that crossings are not only functional but enticing. Bicycle bridges can be scaled from small crossings to large systems – and Dissing+Weitling explores how two cycling systems in Denmark and China incentivize sustainable mobility by delivering dynamic and engaging user experiences across scales, cultures, and geographies.

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  • 2. Cykelslagen

    Copenhagen’s Cykelslagen is a physical manifestation of two Danish traditions: design and cycling. At the same time, it is infrastructure as experience – the act of crossing allows cyclers a moment of roadway isolation an otherwise integrated urban plan.

    The slim, curvilinear pathway takes the form of an elevated 230 metre two-way bicycle crossing located at the first-floor level. Wriggling like a snake across the quay between Vesterbro and Copenhagen harbour, it is a seamless connection between the Quay Bridge and a major roadway situated five metres above the quay.

    The Cykelslagen’s evolution from ramp replacement to bicycle bridge can be mapped to a genuine desire to provide cyclists with a fun commute. As the lead consultants, Dissing+Weitling worked with Copenhagen Municipality to determine an alignment ensured an enjoyable ride. This meant ensuring the curves snaked through buildings without feeling claustrophobic, with brief glimpses into the inner harbour and surrounding architecture. Additional considerations were made to the gradient of the bridge – it was essential to find a way to make the elevation gain gradual to ensure the commuter path remained easy and accessible. A harmonic flow, a fun ride, a ritual of movement – the Cykelslagen’s spatial feeling and visual impact contribute to thousands of commuters embracing the crossing as a part of their daily lives.

    The mobility architecture of the Cykelslagen exemplifies Copenhagen’s urban planning ethos: it is not enough for new infrastructure to ‘just’ be functional solutions – they drive sustainable value creation and contribute to the wellbeing of all members of society. Danish design thinking supports a convergence of user experience and aesthetics.

  • Dissing+Weitling, Xiamen Bicycle Skyway, aerial view, Ma Weiwei
    Aerial View of Xiamen Bicycle Skyway

    Xiamen Bicycle Skyway’s starting point for user adoption was different from the Cykelslangen – unlike Copenhagen, there was no pre-existent preference for bicycle travel in Xiamen. Where China was once known for its cycling culture – the nation’s economic prosperity brought with it a preference for personal vehicles leading to increased air pollution and worrying public health trends. The government’s motivation to develop a large-scale cycling road system was therefore a key part of a larger strategy to promote both commuting alternatives and slow mobility

  • 3. Xiamen Bicycle Skyway

    The Xiamen Bicycle Skyway demonstrates how bicycle infrastructure can be adapted and optimized to fit differing regional needs and scales – creating social impact within a distinct cultural context. Developed for the Xiamen Municipal Planning and Design Administration, the Bicycle Skyway enhances mobility, connectivity, and accessibility for cyclists on the island city.

    A 7.6 kilometre six-lane bicycle path – Xiamen Bicycle Skyway is China’s first suspended cycling path and the world’s longest elevated bicycle bridge. With eleven access points, the skyway connects commuters across the city’s five major residential areas and three business centres – and serves as a connection point for eleven bus stations and two subway hubs.

    The initial need for the Skyway stemmed from the unsafe road conditions for cyclists on the traditional motorways. The elevated system – separating cyclists from cars – provided safety while also ensuring that the act of riding as enjoyment. However, cycling is only one aspect of slow mobility – and it became clear after the initial months of operation that there was equal enthusiasm in Xiamen for walking – and a need for pedestrian paths to promote personal well-being and deliver public health benefits.

    When it became clear that there was equal enthusiasm for walking paths – the Skyway’s lanes were shifted to open half of the 4.8 metre platform width to pedestrian traffic. This supported foot traffic alongside cycling within the boundaries of the Skyway – and demonstrates how a client can adapt the function of a bridge more accurately deliver mobility solutions based on user needs, should they shift.

  • Dissing Weitling Hemei Bridge sbp RAWVISION Studion
    Picture Section of Xiamen Mountains to Sea Health Footpaths.

    Like the Skyway, the architecture of the Health Footpaths begins with the user: how can slow movement be enjoyable, and how can the pathways be accessible for users with differing abilities? In the context of Xiamen – the Skyway and Health Footpaths are two distinct parts of a cohesive whole: the slow transport infrastructure provides citizens and visitors with the opportunity to divest of their car, to experience both city and nature at different speeds.

  • 4. Copenhagen and Xiamen in Conversation

    Bridges are more than crossings – they are experiences that can support both movement and stillness. They provide visual coherence and strengthen communities. When treated with attention and respect, designed with a user-experience focus – public infrastructure can revitalize public spaces and directly impact the quality of people’s lives. Mobility architecture has the power to revitalise underdeveloped parts of cities and create dynamic, fun, and safe connection points.

    Both the Cykelslagen and Xiamen Bicycle Skyway achieve this – they are design solutions which create transportation efficiencies, but also reinvigorate the local built environment, contribute their own architectural value, and are embraced by users as icons of place. Despite their vastly different scales, they shared an ability to catalyse sustainable development. In expanding access to safe bicycle infrastructure – both projects generate social and environmental value within urban centres, and inspire slower, greener ways of living and moving.

    Understanding that the benefits of a dynamic cycling path are not limited by distance – the curving pathways, controlled inclines, and intentional consideration of visual note points. In designing an infrastructure solution that unlocks cycling’s ability to create both social and environmental value – both the Cykelslagen and Skyway brought economic vitality by reinvigorating lesser-utilized parts of their respective cities. Together the exemplify how bicycle infrastructure can deliver across the triple bottom line irrespective of project scale.

  • If you're interested in reading the full paper, you can request it by contacting sub@dw.dk